After spotting a burglar inside his house Friday morning, Peachtree City resident Fred Benson gave chase and fired two shots at the getaway truck as it backed down his driveway, according to a Peachtree City police report of the incident.
One of the shots Benson squeezed off from his Colt .38 revolver struck the bumper, and the other struck the grill and radiator of the 1999 Ford F150 just before it sped out of the Kedron Hills neighborhood, police said. Police believe one of the shots pierced the radiator, ultimately disabling the vehicle minutes later.
Within minutes of the incident, officers found the vehicle in Tyrone and arrested the two occupants, both of whom were women who live in Stone Mountain.
Birdie Milsap, 53, of Rockborough Drive and Tywan Alexander, 32, of Walter Way were charged with burglary. Officers found several hundred dollars of cash on both persons that is believed to have been taken from Benson’s home at 1304 Euclid Court, according to the report.
A pat-down of Milsap revealed a towel bunched up inside her underwear containing gold jewelry and what appeared to be a men’s watch, according to police.
Benson told officers that he was missing a gold money clip that contained his pilot’s license, driver’s license, a medical card, a debit card and a credit card. The next day, Benson reported that he was also missing a silver Rolex watch valued at $1,500.
According to the police report, Benson told officers that he was getting out of the shower when he thought he heard his front door close, which led him to get dressed and get his firearm. Benson told officers he came downstairs and saw a heavy-set black woman in his kitchen wearing an orange-red dress with a floral design who fled into the garage and into the driveway.
Benson said he yelled at the driver that if the truck was put into gear, he would shoot the radiator, according to the report. The driver then started the vehicle, put it in gear, and Benson shot twice into the truck’s radiator, he told police.
A police officer in the area on an undercover detail spotted the truck as it left the area, noting that smoke was coming from the vehicle.
The truck was stopped on Winfair Drive by a Tyrone police officer within minutes of the incident.
Police interviewed Benson’s next-door neighbor and three others who live nearby, all of whom said they heard loud pops before watching the red truck speed away from the neighborhood.
The incident is still being investigated by police detectives, officials said.
Of the two suspects, Milsap has been to prison seven different times, most recently after being convicted in Fulton County for five counts of credit card theft along with two counts of aggravated assault, according to state records. Milsap was sentenced to five years in prison and was paroled June 14, 2010, according to information maintained by the Georgia Department of Corrections.
Milsap has also been convicted of burglary in Whitfield and DeKalb counties, according to DOC records.
